rekluse clutch; lugging with...

tool

i got my stuff from rekluse today. i got the two thick gaskets and 5 more TC balls. no more clutch cover contact. the lever action feels a whole lot better with slightly more lever pull, which is fine.
then i rode it. theres more hookup on the bottom. you hit the gas and it starts moving in a hurry. its not right where i want it, but its a whole lot closer. theres less chatter and the bike lunges forward hard.
im running 10 TC balls with the light spring adjusted all the way out, which seems wierd. i think 15 would be perfect though. i cant see how anyone could be happy with an all steel ball setup. but the people like what they like.
i can lug the bike again and it still wont stall, the clutch finally feels tuned to my bike (almost).
just my 2 cents.
nc, my bike still doesnt clank and go. i knew i should have ordered more than 5 balls.

Indy_WR450

I think you should talk to NCMountainman my riding buddy. He has some good insight with this clutch. I think you need the heavy spring if you are running 10 TC Balls. PM him and he will respond. You dont want to damage your gearbox quickly with a bad set up.

ncmountainman

the primary drives on these 2 bikes are way diff. from what i can tell, my bike has the perfect grab and go w/5 tc balls and the heavy spring,when i had mine with the light spring i thought it was the cats meow,but after running a HS and a couple rides after that i noticed a problem with the drivetrain. now i've been riding a long time and can tell when somthing is wrong,and the heavy spring is the way to go with the tc balls,5,10,15,or 30 !!! IT HELPS THE ENGAGEMENT

tool

i tried the heavy spring once and it just seemed to counteract the effect of the TC balls. i still cant get the engagement low enough for my riding style, even with the perch adjuster all the way out (light spring).
i need the lever to put it into first and if i let go of the lever at idle, the bike pretty much starts rolling and tries to engage. that good. the only problem is when i really get on the gas - it slips with that much of a load. i need it to be like a manual clutch almost all the way down to idle. fully engaged at maybe 2300 RPM. as it is now, i get full engagement at about 3000 RPM.
i just dont have enough hookup way down low.
there absolutely no violent chain/trans sounds on take off. im not even close to that. i wish i could have that. i use the lever on takeoff anyway.

xeslaro

ncmountainman

have you tried the same set up without the flywheel weight? maybe its slowing the engagement because the motor doesn't rev up as fast? i really don't see the need for that much fw effect with the auto clutch,when i removed my starter clutch(it was about 12-14 oz. of fw weght)the bike reacted well,way better throttle response. it'd be simple enough to try! then if it worked better you could always reduce it to 4 oz. or leave it off all together.

tool

i certainly will try it, but i dont see how that could effect the disengagement which is where the problem is. when im lugging the engine, the load is too much at low rpm. so it slips instead of letting the rpm drop.
i really dont see how im going to get the right setup. i think what im asking of this clutch is impossible. i may have to abandon the "auto" part of this clutch, and just retain the light lever pull and slight stall resistance in rough terrain.
i must be able to lug the engine. i love that sound.

to whoever asked... TC balls lower the stall speed of the z start. it makes it more luggable.

luke_n

I think what the mountain man is trying to say is reducing the FW effect should make it spin up quicker and allow you to use the heavy spring and go from there.
Ive been following a few discussions on these clutches cause id LOVE to have a brake lever on my bars and this would be the easiest way. Ive been looking for someone who has one over here so i can try it out, hopefully soon because they have just had a big price drop.
Anybody who has run one for a while, any unusual clutch wear or any other issues?

642MX

I mentioned the flywheel thing a long time ago, in another thread for mr. tool. I believe some people will never be satisfied with a product. I use all steel balls and the soft spring all the way out, and it hooks right off idle. I ride mainly MX and some trails, kudos to Rekluse I could not be happier.

tool

how do you mean? what do you think i should do, nc.i almost want to take out the z start and try the stock pressure plate with only 3 springs. i remember seeing a post about this. it probably wouldnt last, and the z start full of heavy balls would probably work better than that.i know i probably will never be satisfied with any clutch of any kind. maybe if i could get a little closer to what im looking for.to be fair, the clutch has already exceeded my expectations... now im totally spoiled and looking for perfection.

Fastest1

What is a tc ball?? My z-start came with 40 steel balls... Am I missing out on something?

TC stands for Tungsten Carbide. These balls are considerably heavier than the standard steel balls. The package should come with 6 of them. Some people use more. It increases the inertia effect clamping the clutch earlier in the rpm's.

tool

mr nc mountain man. your right, that makes a huge difference. that change lets the rpms drop fast enough and ramp up quick enough, and it makes it perfect for lugging.i would have thought the heavier flywheel would be better for lugging, but what it realy does is dull the engagement of the z start. the stock flywheel makes the engagement quicker and just plain sweet. its great. im really close to what im looking for and it suprisingly still works much like an auto. i think a 50/50 mix of TC/steel would "tighten" up engagement just right.i'll just keep on tweakin.

John_Lorenz

What is a tc ball?? My z-start came with 40 steel balls... Am I missing out on something?

TC stands for Tungsten Carbide. These balls are considerably heavier than the standard steel balls. The package should come with 6 of them. Some people use more. It increases the inertia effect clamping the clutch earlier in the rpm's.

John I have to correct you here

TC means TourtureChamber Ballsif you ever ride with him in Hawaii (I have not) you will know what I mean

ncmountainman

glad your makin headway,so did you put the ten balls in yet or was that just the five? if you haven't switched to ten yet i'd wait and try the ten first before you order enough for 15! oh ya,i was just being a smart about the upgrade i meant maybe you need the 450! but at least ya got it almost licked now

tool

i had the 10 balls in for a while now. adding 5 heavy balls doesnt make as big a difference on my bike as you would think, so it made it better, but not alot better.
im really happy with the way the clutch works now. it still has total stall resistance, but im able to lug it almost all the way down to idle. at that point it slips so little that i cant really tell. its like "enhanced power engagement".
now i can take off at idle by just letting out the lever. or i can take off with the auto engagement, or i can drop the clutch and wheelie. options, man.